Unlike the basic game, the major clans are split among three families and the igniting event of the conflict will occur (Emperor Takakura is pressured to abdicate by the Taira and his toddler grandson Antoku is placed on the throne), setting off war between the three families and probably their aligned minor clans with them - the pressures of this war will create an emphasis on the usage of agents to aid your cause without even more fighting. The first, Rise of the Samurai, is set during the Genpei War of the late 12th century, which led to the decline of the Chinese-influenced Imperial Court, the rise of the first shogunate and the dominance of the Samurai class in Japanese society.
Two expansion packs were produced, introducing new campaigns to the game. Starting in the 1540s, the player takes control of one of the powerful clans struggling for superiority in Japan, with the eventual goal of uniting Japan under a new shogunate.
As a sequel/remake of the very first game of the series, Shogun: Total War, the setting returns to Feudal Japan and the Sengoku Period of civil war.
Like its predecessors, it features a mixture of turn-based strategy on a campaign map and real-time tactical battles. Total War: Shogun 2 is the seventh full installment in the popular Total War series of strategy games.